Fire protection of building structural systems traditionally has relied on component
qualification testing, with acceptance criteria based on component survival during a
“standard” fire for a prescribed rating period. These test
procedures do not address the impact of the fire on a structural system. With
advances in fire science and the advent of advanced structural analysis, the routine
use of the computer as a design tool and limit states design, it is becoming
possible to consider realistic fire scenarios and effects explicitly as part of the
structural design process. In this modern engineering design approach, load
requirements for considering structural actions due to fire in combination with
other loads are essential, but have yet to be implemented in standards and codes in
the United States. This paper provides a probabilistic basis for appropriate
combinations of loads to facilitate fire-resistant structural design and recommends
specific load combinations for this purpose. The probabilistic basis is essential
for measuring compliance with performance objectives, for comparing alternatives,
and for making the role of uncertainty in the decision process transparent.
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